This invention relates to collars and associated components useful in conjunction with watercraft and more particularly to collars adapted to include both foam and inflatable compartments for, among other things, enhanced durability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,685 to Hemphill, et al., incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, illustrates and details various foam collars designed to be affixed to the external surfaces of boat hulls. These collars typically include laminates of closed-cell foams such as (but not necessarily limited to) cross-linked polyethylene-ethylene vinyl-acetate copolymers. Also disclosed in the Hemphill patent are reinforcement coatings (such as polyurethane), which may be adhered to the foam laminates for added abrasion resistance or strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,965 to Hansen, also incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, describes boats having foam members mounted to rigid hulls. The foam members are denominated xe2x80x9cstabilizersxe2x80x9d in the Hansen patent, since they purportedly xe2x80x9cact as a running surface when a sharp turn is performed at high speedxe2x80x9d in an associated boat. See Hansen, col. 2, 11. 38-39. Likewise, the foam members detailed in the Hansen patent supposedly enhance the righting moment of a hull by xe2x80x9ccontact[ing] and displac[ing] an increasing volume of water as the boat lists.xe2x80x9d See id. at 11. 59-61.
According to the Hansen patent, the stabilizing members disclosed therein:
can be formed of any suitable buoyant foam which can withstand the harsh environment encountered by a high speed watercraft including normal docking and moorage bumping. It is also advantageous that the stabilizing members be formed from a foam that does not absorb water and has some memory. In the preferred embodiment . . . , a closed cell polypropylene or polyethylene foam . . . is used to form the stabilizing members . . . .
. . . In order to increase damage tolerance, it may also be beneficial to coat or cover the exterior of the stabilizing members with a protective material, such as a rubber, liquid vinyl or some other plastic material.
Id. at col. 6, 11. 1-17. Such stabilizing members are expressly contrasted with inflatable tubes, with the latter decried as subject to undesired deflation and requiring availability of a pump. See id. at 11. 18-25. Additionally, although Kevlar is listed as a material from which the hull can be made, see id. at col. 3, 11. 28-29, as noted above only rubber, liquid vinyl, and xe2x80x9cother plasticxe2x80x9d material are recited as the substances from which a protective coat or cover for the members may be made.
The present invention provides alternative collar assemblies for use with watercraft including rigid-hulled boats. Unlike the foam members of the Hansen patent, the collars of the invention are not true xe2x80x9cstabilizersxe2x80x9d (although they arguably may add stability in certain situations). Instead, they function substantially as fenders, like the collars of the Hemphill patent.
Additionally unlike the stabilizers of the Hansen patent, the foam collars described herein include both foam materials and one or more inflatable compartments. They thus in some senses are composites, offering multiple advantages over existing collars by virtue of incorporating both inflatable material and foam. Yet further benefits may be obtained through use, consistent with the present invention, of reinforcing material (such as but not limited to Kevlar) and an abrasion-resistant coating surrounding the foam and inflatable compartments.
In some embodiments of the innovative collars, an elongated, inflatable bladder is positioned within and substantially circumscribed by a hollow foam tube. In turn, portions of the foam tube are covered by a sleeve-like reinforcing material and the material may be coated or covered with an abrasion-resistant layer. Thus, when the bladder is inflated, it tends to force the foam tube against the sleeve of reinforcing material, facilitating a close, relatively uniform fit. As well, this inflation tensions the sleeve, enhancing energy absorption of the collar and reducing the likelihood that irregularities in the outer surface of the sleeve will cause damage to it.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide innovative collars or similar components of, typically, watercraft.
It is another object of the present invention to provide collars including both foam materials and inflatable compartments.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide collars incorporating therein or thereon either or both of a reinforcing material and an abrasion-resistant coating.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art with reference to the remaining text and the drawings of this application.